What starts small, easily spreads, and ultimately ruins?

“On the seventh day the priest must inspect it again. If the contaminated area has spread, the clothing or fabric or leather is clearly contaminated by a serious mildew and is ceremonially unclean.”

Leviticus 13:51 (NLT)

We continue today with laws concerning infectious diseases. We see that the Hebrew word for leprosy refers not only to Hansen’s Disease but also to other skin infections and even to mold or mildew that can infect clothing.

The determining factor of whether a person was clean or unclean was the spreading of a bodily sore or its discoloration. A spreading disease would make a person unclean. As we saw in the first part of this chapter, leprosy is a type or picture of sin. Sin starts out small but soon spreads to infect the whole person. It can even spread throughout a group of people. Consider the original sin in the Garden of Eden. How it has spread throughout the entire human family!

The priest had the right and responsibility to pronounce a person “clean” or “unclean”. When it comes to sin, it is so hidden in the heart that only our High Priest Jesus Christ can correctly determine if we are clean or unclean. Because of our sin nature, we were all unclean until Jesus cleansed us with His blood.

We also see that leprosy (mold or mildew) could infect a garment. It is interesting that if a washing would not cure the garment of the disease, then it was to be burned. Fire in Scripture symbolizes judgment. A garment that could not be cleansed was cast into the fire. Likewise, a person who continues in sin will be burned. Often this happens as they deal with the natural consequences of their sin or if they are disciplined by God. God intends that such suffering turns them away from sin through humility and repentance. This fiery judgment burns away sin and refines the heart. But a person who resists the Holy Spirit and rejects Christ will ultimately be burned in eternal fire.

Sin is deceptive, defiling and insidious. Once it infects the heart it will never go away on its own. Only confession, repentance, and the blood of Christ can stop it and remove it from the heart. We have all been infected by sin and are spiritual lepers. We have defiled ourselves and become unclean. But Jesus is willing to cleanse us if we come to Him.

“Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, ‘If You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’”

Mark 1:40–41 (NKJV)